Boudoir Meaning

Boudoir is a beautiful form of photography with a long tradition. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, boudoir meaning is:

“a woman’s dressing room, bedroom, or private sitting room.”

The definition does it no justice. The word originally comes from French meaning “a sulking place” or to “pout.” And we are still left wanting. The boudoir was a room between the dining room and the woman’s bedroom and gave her a place to retreat. If we consider that Victorian era women were very coy as sexual modesty was considered sexy (irony?), the boudoir gave ladies a place to have private conversations.

It also gave a place to engage in, um, “private activities.”

So then what is boudoir photography? If we keep in mind the idea of a private space for a woman to retreat to, to let down her hair, to discuss privately, then we can understand boudoir meaning:

“a private, safe, comfortable place for a woman to relax and feel in control.”

This is what Red Silk Photos endeavors to encapsulate when photographing boudoir. It isn’t slutty, or raunchy. It should be sexy, but in a subdued and sublime way. Something should be left to the imagination. This puts boudoir meaning is as far from pornography as portrait photography is. Soft, subtle, and sensual are much more apt words to describe boudoir photography than anything relating to the full nakedness of uncontrolled sexual desire.

Don’t misunderstand, boudoir should be sexy. However, it is sexy not for the idea of causing arousal, but rather sexy in the same fashion that an intelligent woman is sexy or a man in a well fit suit is sexy. No one wants to be viewed as a slab of meat, and a good boudoir photographer shouldn’t treat you like something to be gawked and whistled at.